


Promise Me

by cryysis



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Light Angst, Shakespeare Quotations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 15:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16267487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryysis/pseuds/cryysis
Summary: Jamie and Claire met when they were 14, and have spent all their time falling in love. Now 17, Brian has decided his son must go to France for a year of study before he becomes a man. But our young Scot has a question for his Sassenach before he makes sail.





	Promise Me

**Author's Note:**

> My first time in Outlander fanfiction, so I hope everyone likes this! This is actually part of a much larger story that I’m eventually writing, but this piece was part of my initial inspiration and I wanted to share. The only eyes that have seen it are mine, so if you find anything wrong by all means please point it out!

 

They laid in peaceful silence, backs against the slopes of the hill. But the longer they lay together, the tenser Claire became at his side. They'd agreed to meet today and spend some time together, each for their own purposes. But there'd been something on her mind the last few days, and even now she wouldn't speak of it.

He wanted to reach out to and touch her, take her hand in his and link their fingers together. But in a moment of self-doubt, he kept his hands to himself, tapping his fingers against his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. But he'd had his own plans for their time, and he wouldn't see them done the longer this went on. 

After another few minutes of her silence, he sighed and sat up as well. "Will ye not tell me what's the matter, then?"

She jumped, like she'd forgotten he was there. Was she truly so worried?

"Nothing's the matter," she said softly, not turning to look at him. "I just wanted to spend time with you, is all."

"Maybe that's so," he said, keeping his voice mild. "But ye willna look me in the eye, Sassenach, and ye got so lost in yer own thoughts ye forgot I was sittin' beside ye."

"No I didn't. I was just..." she paused, trying to come up with a suitable excuse without actually lying to him. "I was enjoying the quiet. Our time together, I mean. You'll be leaving for France soon, after all."

"Aye, in a few weeks."

"Mm. A whole new world."

He tilted his head, studying her. When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming, he took his chances. "Ye ken I willna forget ye, Claire," she whirled around to face him, her eyes wide. So he had been right. "I've told ye a dozen times, Sassenach. It didna happen when I stayed with my Uncles at Leoch, and it willna happen this time either."

She shook her head in denial, frowning and turning from him again. "This isn't the same though, Jamie. It's not just a few hours by horse, it's a completely different country! It's new places, new experiences, new people.... You'll be doing so much, you won't have time to think about the things you've left behind."

That brought him up short. Surely she knew him better than that.

"Do ye truly think so little of me, then? That I'd just forget my home, my family?"

"Of course not," her answer came so fast she'd nearly practically interrupted him. "You're a better man than that."

"Then what in God's name are ye goin' on about?"

"Christ Jamie, do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Aye, it seems ye'll have to," he said, frowning at her.

But she didn't answer him, just shook her head in exasperation. He raised a brow at her soft mutter of " _men_ ," and decided he'd finally had enough.

They'd had this same argument dozens of times since his father had made the announcement. Every time, it ended in a stony silence that left them feeling heart sore with each other for days afterwards. He couldn’t' understand it. He'd promised her honesty, and she'd never had reason to doubt him at his word before.

But then...

Maybe it wasn't that she doubted him, here and now. No one, not even his father, knew the truth of him the way Claire did. If he believed in something with all his heart, _because_ he believed it, she would know it then and there to be true.

But she wouldn't be with him in France. She wouldn't get to see the challenges and struggles in his life as they happened. And because of that, she couldn't be sure he would feel the same way he during his time there.

It made sense, and it fit what he knew of her. The only thing he could hope to do was to keep with his plan, and pray that it assuaged her fears for the long term.

"Yer right, ye ken," he said finally, the edge of his lips quirking in a smile. "About France, and my goin'. I canna say I willna be distracted from time to time, with all the things I'll goin' on while I'm there."

Claire had turned back to him, trying to keep the worry from her eyes. But he knew that face as surely as his own. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life. His smile widened, and he looked back out to the rolling hills of his home.

"I'll be without my home, and my family. And aye, it will be hard on me. But the work will keep me busy, and it's true I'll likely not think to often on it," he told her. "But then, there's one thing I'll never be able to stop thinkin' of, the whole time I'm there."

Claire shook her head, huffing a soft laugh. He watched her bite her lip to try and hide her smile, grinning as it failed. "And what's that?"

He moved from his spot beside her, situating himself in front of her so he could watch her smile grow. " _You, mo nighean donn._ Yer company, yer laugh.” She did laugh then, making him smile. “Ye smackin’ me in the back of the head when ye think I'm bein' foolish."

"You're always being foolish," she said, the brief shine of tears in her eyes.

"Aye, maybe I am," he said with a grin, "Just means ye'll have to write to me. Every week, or else I'll grow spoilt without yer punishing hand."

She scoffed in disbelief, but her eyes were light and teasing. "Every week, is it? Perhaps I should make it every day, just to be sure."

He grinned as he laughed. "In that case, ye must write _twice_ a day. I'll take nothin' less."

"Twice a day!" she said, playing at outrage. "You just said every week!"

"O' aye, an' I meant it. But if yer given me a better offer, who am I to refuse?"

"Bloody Scott," she huffed, wiping at her eyes. She smiled when he reached up to wipe at her tears, leaning into his touch. She sighed, content. "I asked your mother, you know." He kept quiet, his gaze drawn to the movement of his thumb over her cheek. "What I could do to make sure you wouldn't forget me. Even if the worst should happen, I wanted a way for you to always look back on me."

The phrase struck him as odd and set his heart fluttering briefly with worry. Rather than dwell on it, he asked the obvious. "An' what did she tell ye?"

Her whiskey eyes opened, looking away shyly as she considered her options. "Well... she told me that there's really only one way to be sure. To be certain, really."

She straightened, settling on her knees to give herself a moment to think. When she was ready, she smiled at him again. "But I don't want to just take it from you. So I'll give you mine instead, and that should still count, I think."

Jamie considered this, eyeing her shrewdly. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he played along, nodding sagely. He grinned when she snorted at him. "I'll thank ye then, Sassenach, though I'm sure whatever it is I'd have given ye anyway. So," he said, an air of self-importance settling around his shoulders, "what will you give me then?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved him, though not hard enough to really move him. All it did was make him laugh at her until she smacked his shoulder, drawing his attention back to her. "I'm sorry, Sassenach, I couldna help it."

"I'm sure you couldn't," she said, scowling playfully at him. "Now sit up straight and close your eyes."

"Close my eyes? Are ye sure I'm not like to be stabbed?" He just barely caught the fist she sent to his shoulder, laughing as she tried to pull it back so she could take another swing at him. "All right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Still giggling, he straightened back up, keeping her clenched fists his hands. "I promise, I'll behave." And to prove his point, he closed his eyes, though the smile never really left his face.

She glared at him, distrusting this sudden acquiescence. After a moment, his smile started to stretch again, and before he could open his mouth she did something she'd never done before: she leaned up and kissed him.

It only lasted a few moments, and ended with him pulling back from her, searching her expression in a wonderous surprise. She didn't know what he saw in her nervous smile, but it softened his gaze. Slowly, so she knew what he was doing, he reached out, his fingers slipping through the mass of curls at the back of her head to pull her into another kiss.

They could feel each other’s smiles against their lips, breaking their kisses only long enough to laugh at each other before coming together again. For a while, they lost themselves in the soft brush of flesh against flesh, and wet sounds of their mouths slipping against each other.

They parted once more, foreheads pressed together as they enjoyed the warmth of the other's body. Claire's hand came to rest over Jamie's heart, and his covered hers in turn. She turned her hand in his, their palms lining up, making her chuckle. "Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"No," he said, pulling her hand to his lips so he could kiss its back. "I canna say anything comes to mind."

Smiling, she quoted, " _Palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss_."

Jamie snorted in response, but he couldn't quite hide his grin as he answered her, " _Have not saints lips, and holy palmers’ too?_ "

Her smile turned coy, " _Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer._ "

He leaned close, his own grin sly, " _O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair_." But before he could bring their lips together, Claire surprised him, kissing him instead. Jamie's inability to stop smiling broke it once more, making the two of them laugh.

When they settled, Jamie returned to their little game, eager for its ending. " _Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged_."

There was heat in her eyes as they focused on his lips. " _Then have my lips the sin that they have took?_ "

"Aye, Sassenach," he said, breaking character as his voice darkened with the beginnings of true arousal, "and I'll have them back as often ye take them from me." He moved fast, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her into his lap. She shrieked in surprise, clinging to him and making him fall backwards with laughter, burying it and his face in her curls.

"Christ, woman, do ye mean to kill us both?"

Her own laughter bubbled from her chest, "Certainly not," she said, kissing him soundly. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to tip us over."

"Tis alright, Sassenach," he answered, reaching up to dip his fingers into her curls. "Ye ken, I think I prefer this to where we were a moment ago?"

She raised a brow, barely holding back her grin. "Do you? And dare I ask why?"

His eyes sparkled. "Is it not obvious?"

Claire snorted, thumping his chest. "You're a pig."

"And whose fault is that, Sassenach?" he asked teasingly. "Yer the one throwin yerself on me."

Now she glared at him, sitting up with a scowl. "A kiss isn't throwing myself on you, but keep talking like that and I might find someone else--"

"Ye'll do no much thing!" With a burst of strength, he flipped them over, his expression fierce as he loomed over her. "That first kiss belongs to _me_ , Sassenach, and everyone after it!"

They glared at each other for a moment, two strong wills trying to assert themselves over the other.

Then Jamie broke first; he sighed, gaze softening with a quirk of his lips. "I dinna mean to anger ye, Sassenach. Tis only..." he shook his head, not really sure what he was trying to say. Claire reached out to him then, cupping his cheek with a soft smile. He returned it, kissing her palm. "I canna help it, Claire. Ye told me of Randall and his wantin' to pursue ye, but it made no difference to me. I dinna ken that I could ever take his interest in ye seriously, knowin' how much ye dinna care for it. But just the thought of ye kissin' another man, and ye bein' the one to suggest it..."

"Jamie..."

He silenced her with a soft kiss, his smile strained at its edges. "The idea alone drives me to madness, Sassenach. We've only just kissed for the first time, an' already the thought of it runs me through."

"I wouldn't, you know," she said, rising to her elbows to lessen the distance between them. "We could argue for days with each other, but I would never break your trust like that. I couldn't."

"Aye, I ken," he answered, laying their foreheads together as his eyes drifted shut. "I'm sorry, Sassenach. I'm all mixed up, tryin' ta figure out how I want our afternoon to go now that I have ye to myself."

She put a bit of space between them, tilting her head curiously. "What do you mean?"

Jamie went quiet, a soft smile stretching his lips as he watched her. "There's somethin' I meant to ask ye, before you surprised me. I was tryin' to sort out a plan."

"Really?" She looked teasingly skeptical, and he rolled his eyes as he drew them back up, facing each other where they sat. Her teasing look fell though, as she recognized the sincere look in his eyes. Her smile went soft, and Jamie's eyes fell shut once more in bliss as she caressed his cheek. "Jamie?"

His hand covered hers where it lay against his cheek, sighing in quiet happiness. "I love you, Claire. So much I feel my heart will burst from it," he said, voice achingly soft. He looked at her then, his free hand mimicing hers and cupping her cheek. "Since the night ye offered to stay wit' my mother 'til she was well. I could see it in yer eyes, how scairt ye were." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of her fingers. "But ye found yer courage, and ye stayed wit’ her. Wit’ us. I knew then."

He smiled, squeezing her hand. "I ken, Sassenach, what that night cost ye. How it changed things. But God damn me for sayin’ it, that night brought us together for the first time and I can never thank him enough." He took a steadying breath, drawing on his own courage as nerves threatened to silence him. His expression was fierce, needing her to believe him.

"Claire, ye ken there will never be another woman after ye. That’s not the sort o’ man I am." Her nod of agreement set his heart at ease, and he sighed in relief. His smile turned a hair shy. "I’ve thought about what I want for my life. The things I want to do, the places I want to go. Scotland will always be my home, but I want to travel a bit before I’m an old man. See more of the world, like you and yer Uncle. Get a taste of what it has to offer, ye ken?"

He took both her hands then, holding them in his. "I spoke to my father last year, before he sent me to Leoch. About askin’ for yer hand."

Her surprised expression made him laugh. "You really asked him that? Back then?"

"Aye," he said, smile bashful. "But I wasna yet a man then, an’ I suppose he was worried."

She wrinkled her nose. "Worried for what?"

"That I’d go an’ do somethin’ foolish," he said, shaking his head. If only they'd known then what his Uncle had in store for him. "He feared I'd ruin what I had before I rightly knew what it was." Jamie smiled ruefully. "I was angry wit him for a time. I kept fearin' I'd return from Leoch and find ye engaged to some lad in the village."

Claire scoffed. "Well you certainly know better now."

"Oh, aye, I do," he said, grinning. "I'm the only man brave enough to kiss ye, Sassenach, let alone marry ye." He laughed at her scowl, recoiling when she punched him his shoulder. "Ye ken it's true!"

Her answering glare could melt ice. "I know at least one other who would disagree."

"Och, you mean Randall? He's nothin fer me to worry over," he said, smiling brightly.

She raised a brow, taking her hands completely from his and crossing her arms. "And what makes you so sure? Perhaps I'll visit him while you're in France and find I prefer older men."

The sound he made was purely Scottish in origin, and full of derisive disbelief. "Sure ye will," he said. Then he grinned. "But ye willna be able to do anything about it."

It was her turn to scoff. "And why's that?"

"Because, my Sassenach," he whispered, hands settling on her waist, pulling her close. "You'll have broken yer word to do so, an that ye'd never do."

"My word," she questioned, her hands coming automatically to his chest. "And what have I given my word on?"

The nerves he'd managed to suppress moments ago made a resurgence in his heart, and he swallowed hard forcing them back down. "That ye'll wait for me. Give me the year to learn my uncle's trade in Paris, to work on my music as my father wants. And when that year is up, I'll return to ye."

She searched his expression, biting her lip at the flare of hope in his eyes. "And when you return? What happens then?"

"When I return..." he smiled. "When I return, ye'll be here, waitin' for me. Men may crawl at yer heels, Sassenach, beggin fer yer attentions, but it'll be me ye look for. And when I first set eyes on ye after the year is done, I'll ask ye to be my wife. "

Claire's entire being brightened, even as the shine of tears entered her eyes. "That's really the first thing you'll do? You won't even bother with a hello?"

Jamie's chuckle was breathless as his nerves finally fell away. "To be honest, I might jus' kiss ye first. It'll have been a long year, aye?" They both laughed then, and as Jamie searched her glass face, he grinned for the answer he knew was coming. "Will ye wait for me, Claire?"

Her smile was shaky, and she grabbed his ears, pulling him in for a kiss filled with her love and their hope for the future "I'll wait. And when you ask me under the archway to be your wife, I'll say yes."

He lept to his feet, bringing her with him and spinning her in his joy. The sound of her laugh made his heart soar, and he stopped it only to seal their promise with a kiss of his own. "I love you, Claire Beauchamp. For now and always."

"And I love you, James Fraser. Don't you ever forget it."

 


End file.
